The invention relates to a shingle-removing tool, and more particularly to a tool with a reciprocating shingle-removing blade and an improved blade driving assembly.
Roof removal is a labor-intensive operation. Frequently, there are multiple layers of roofing material. Often shingles, clapboard, or shakes laid in overlapping rows on a roofing substrate/sheathing cover the roofs and walls of buildings. These may be removed down to the sheathing to which the shingles arc nailed, glued, or otherwise attached. The removal operation is generally accomplished manually or by using tools which only effect removal by undercutting the shingles and roofing nails, lifting the shingle material, and pushing the shingle material ahead of the tool. Prior art motorized shingle removing tools utilize a cam-driven driving assembly which has several disadvantages. The cam-driven assembly requires additional parts and is therefore heavier and not as easy to manipulate. Second, the cam-driven assembly has been found to result in excessive vibration and therefore increased wear and tear on the tool.
A tool capable of removing various layers (stratum) from a variety of surfaces, including roofing shingles/sheathing/shakes/clapboard from a roof substrate or carpet from a floor substrate, comprises a base or mounting board, a blade assembly, and a blade driving assembly. The blade assembly is attached to the blade driving assembly and the blade driving assembly is mounted on a mounting board or base. The blade driving assembly may be further improved by employing a crank-driven blade driving assembly.
In one embodiment, a tool capable of removing stratum comprises a mounting board, a crank-driven blade driving assembly further comprising at least two driving bars, and a blade assembly wherein the blade assembly further comprises a blade, a support member, a side motion rod. The blade has a scalloped edge, having top and bottom surfaces that is capable of reciprocating back and forth and from side to side. The support member, having horizontal and vertical portions, is affixed to the blade by appropriate fasteners. The horizontal portion of the support member is affixed to the top portion of the blade. The side motion rod includes a protruding radius and an inside radius in alignment with the support-member-to-blade fasteners. The side motion rod is attached to the mounting board and extends through an opening in the vertical portion of the support member. The side motion rod is further disposed between the fasteners. The driving bars are slidably mounted within at least two bearing blocks, which are mounted on the mounting board.
In another embodiment, a tool capable of removing stratum comprises a mounting board, a blade assembly, and a blade driving assembly. The blade assembly further comprises a support member, a blade, and a side motion rod. The blade is attached to the horizontal portion of the support member. The side motion rod has a head portion and a rearward portion. The head portion of the side motion rod is slidably mounted in the vertical portion of the support member and is disposed between at least two fasteners connecting the blade and the support member together. The head of the side motion rod further includes inside and protruding radii disposed on either side of the head portion in alignment with the fasteners or other protrusions on the horizontal surface of the support member. The rearward portion of the side motion rod is affixed to the mounting board. The blade driving assembly comprises a motor, motor shaft, crank, at least two, parallel-spaced driving bars and a connecting rod. The driving bars are mounted in the vertical support member portion of the support member and are further slidably mounted through at least two bearing blocks. The motor is connected to the crank via the motor shaft, which is disposed within the crank. The crank has an offset hole and carries a connecting rod. The connecting rod is attached to a shaft plate which extends transversely with respect to the mounting board and which is further connected to the blade driving bars.
In another embodiment, only the improved blade assembly is part of the tool. Here, a tool capable of removing stratum comprises a mounting board, a blade-driving assembly, and a blade assembly wherein the blade assembly comprises a scalloped blade, having top and bottom surfaces, wherein the blade is capable of being shifted between a forward position and a retracted position as well as from side to side.
Finally, another embodiment of the invention includes a method of removing stratum using a tool, comprising a mounting board, a blade assembly and a crank-driven blade-driving assembly, comprising the steps of converting circular/rotary motion to reciprocating rectilinear motion; transmitting said rectilinear motion to a blade driving assembly; driving a blade on said blade driving assembly back and forth (longitudinally) and from side to side (laterally); and engaging a stratum with said blade until said stratum is removed from a substrate. More specifically, this method is achieved by transmitting circular/rotary motion from a motor to a motor shaft connected to the motor; converting the circular/rotary motion to eccentric motion by transmitting the circular/rotary motion from the motor shaft to a crank carrying a connecting rod; converting that eccentric motion to reciprocating rectilinear motion by transmitting the eccentric motion from the crank to the connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod is attached to a shaft plate extending transversely across said mounting board; transmitting the rectilinear motion to a pair of blade driving bars, connected to the shaft plate in a parallel spaced relationship, wherein said blade driving bars are slidably mounted within at least one pair of bearing blocks; transmitting the rectilinear motion from the blade driving bars to a support member to which a scalloped blade is attached to extend and retract said blade; and reciprocating the blade from side to side by the engagement of a protruding radius on one side and an inside radius on the other side of a side motion rod with at least two protrusions on said support member through which said side motion rod is disposed.